Hi guys! I don’t want to make this intro too long but I hope your Holidays went well and I hope you can look forward to 2021 with as much hopefulness as you can muster. But I’m wishing you all good grades, good food and lots of rest. But if nothing else, I’m wishing you a great book year because despite everything else going on in 2020, this has been my best book year in a long time. If the trend hasn’t already exposed itself, quarantine was the time for new hobbies, YouTube channels, depression and a whole lot of boredom. So, with the help of a few friends I’m happy to say that I got back into reading. I used to read so much when I was younger, and my shelves are still filled to the brim with my YA and middle grade books. Every other thing I own that’s not clothes, are books and they sit in boxes. But I digress. Moral of the story, high school was where things started to taper off. Maybe I could read 5 books a year, but nothing I would say was conscious effort or had sustaining value (except for ACOTAR. ACOTAR forever). Though, as soon as I got to college, all reading stopped. So I created a book goal of 20 books by the end of 2020 and I am so happy to say that not only did I reach my goal but as of December 26, I have officially read 61 books this year…no rereads. And not to toot my own horn but I think that’s fucking amazing. However, I didn’t want to give you guys a top 20 list (because I’m not sure if I have enough for 20 or if I have too many) but I will give a shout out to the glorious Penny Reid because she really got this ball and chain reading train rolling. (That was a weird analogy but I am going with it). So, I’m here with my top 10 books from this year with possibly a few honorable mentions. I’m so excited to share them with you, so let’s get into it! [Insert meme here]. Book 1I’m not going to lie to you and perhaps this might be cheating but I’ve read two series this year. A part of me wants to just put PENNY REID and then list all the books within those two series that I loved and rated five stars but I’ll only list one and perhaps later on, you’ll find an honorable mention or two of hers. *hint hint* So this book award goes to…[drumroll please] LOVE HACKED (KNITTING IN THE CITY #3) BY PENNY REID Rating: 3.5 Blurb: This book is about Sandra and Alex and how Sandra has a hard time dating because she’s always trying to psychoanalyze her dates. Always. She is a psychologist after all but after a chance encounter with a slightly jaded and moody waitress she has to learn how to cope with falling for someone who isn’t interested in her “helpful” insight after all. Thoughts: Oh my gosh I LOVED this book. And even though the rating is a little low (I’m a picky reader lol) There were two things that allowed this book to make my ‘favorites list’ this year: 1. The breakdown of the female ’Savior’ trope and 2. Bitcoin. Now the trope name is definitely something I just made up but the way Penny Reid literally and realistically broke down the way romance novels have one of the main character’s saving the other was amazing. Usually when it involves a damaged hero, the woman comes along and in one way or another emotionally “saves” him so that he can be a better person for her and they live happily ever after. Which is fine but Alex is who he is: grumpy, moody, with a trauma ridden past and he’s functional that way. He handles his personal issues the way he handles them and he’s learned how to cope with them. He doesn’t need Sandra to save him (as much as she wants to) he just wants to love her and I thought that was amazing. And the fact that Sandra is a psychologist makes the breakdown of the trope all that more realistic which I thoroughly enjoyed. 2. They talk about bitcoin, I learned about bitcoin, bitcoin is VERY cool and I loved learning a little piece of real life knowledge so that was awesome. I guess you might be wondering why I didn’t rate the book higher and I don’t know. My initial argument is that I didn’t feel that connected to the characters but I think this is one of those books I have to reread again. I definitely loved the larger aspects of the story so maybe once I go through it for the second time I can rate it higher. Until then, don’t let my rating intimidate you from not reading this book. It can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the entire series. It’s amazing. Book 2So I had an amazing Christmas, and this is not to brag but simply to state that all I got this Christmas were books. I swear my mother watched the smile split my face open and had to laugh. We even got it on video but that’s private sooo y’all can’t see that. Point is, when I talk about this book, remember that recently it was added to the stack I got for Christmas and picture an ear splitting smile that’s slightly creepy and delirious from lack of sleep and me in my polka dotted pajama bottoms. Thanks. KULTI BY MARIANA ZAPATA Rating: 5 Blurb: Twenty-seven year old Sal Casillas is a professional soccer player and when her once idol becomes her new soccer coach she has to deal with the fact that he’s not as perfect as she thought him to be…but that doesn’t stop her from falling in love. Thoughts: Oh my goodness, this woman (Zapata) destroyed my soul this year. If you’re looking for a slow burn, just read this book or any of her books really. 561 pages of pure genius and honestly, all I’m going to do is link my Goodreads review here and add onto the thoughts I didn’t think would make my Goodreads review shorter than it already should have been. Basically, Sal and Kulti’s story was such an appropriate relationship for the age gap they were sporting. Another book that didn’t have the heroine rushing in to save or change the hero from his poor temperament and bad manners, nor did she tolerate his shit. In the end it felt like an old married couple loving each other and it was so amazing. Zapata also does such an amazing job at describing and highlighting professional sports life which I loved. ‘From Lukov, With Love’ is next on my list and it’s an ice skating romance so I’m excited about that but back to Sal and Kulti. I loved the family dynamics in this book: the supportive father, the complicated sibling relationships, found family with friends. Everything was so beautifully developed and it never felt dragged or too overdone. Instead it added to the realness in the way love to hate relationships might develop in real time. And I appreciated these moments where we got to learn more about the characters as people: their quirks and day to day likes/dislikes. There was no need for some big backstory to give us a picture for “who the characters are” because we got to discover it for ourselves and I really appreciated that journey. So don’t let the page number intimidate you, it’s definitely a 10/10 read. Book 3I was gifted this by my best friend so this book will definitely hold special meaning for me when I finally put it on my shelf (once I finally rebuild my bookshelf). But in an effort to read more indie and diverse books I was so happy that I stumbled upon Weatherspoon’s Loose Ends series because I immediately fell in love. So this intro is basically to say read more diversely in all aspects: race, religion, gender, sex so that we can accept more widely. But also to support indie authors who are typically more diverse in these spaces. XENI BY REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON Rating: 5 Blurb: Xeni Everly-Wilkins just wants to claim her inheritance from her recently deceased aunt Sable, instead she’s caught in the middle of a feud war between her mother and her mother’s sisters, and a will specifically stating that in order to claim her inheritance she has to marry complete stranger, Mason McInroy. Xeni realizes she may have gotten more than she bargained for… and it might not turn out to be entirely a bad thing. Thoughts: First of all, what a fucking name. Xeni Everly-Wilkins? Freaking gorgeous. Second of all, he’s freaking SCOTTISH? You bet your ass I googled Scottish accents just so I could read Mason’s voice in one. Also my guy plays the bagpipes and wore a kilt. Like where can I find me one? I’ll place my eBay order tonight. Anyways, there were so many other aspects of this book that I loved so I’m going to try to keep this brief. The biggest thing for me again was the family aspect in this one: it was all the real, the raw and the witty aspects of dealing with the death of a close loved one as well as what it means to have people that support you and to lean on during this tough time. The sexual tension was also off the charts between these two which was fucking A. Basically it described how two lonely people who could have gone through this period of mourning feeling even more alone, learn how to turn to each other. And in light of that, a beautiful relationship developed. Xeni also comes from a musically famous family and so the music aspects were perfect: not too heavy that it overwhelmed the story but just enough to break up the narrative and provide characterization for Sable Everly who left her spirit lingering and her legacy to influence those she left behind. Quote from Goodreads: “This is a stand alone romance. It features a woman sick to death of her family shit and a plus-size Scotsman who just wants to make sweet, sweet music. And love.” It doesn’t get any better than that, now does it? Book 4I think this is the first novella that I’ve read as a standalone, and I loved it. It’s also the first book I read by Rebekah Weatherspoon. I read this on my floor and accidentally bought it on kindle (which if you guys know, I don’t reread books online if I can physically own them) soo I did a thing but I’m not mad at it. This was worth the back ache and five dollars. Even though this also made me realize that I like novels more. TREASURE BY REBEKAH WEATHERSPOON Rating: 4 Blurb: At her sister’s bachelorette party Alexis Chambers is the last person who wants to be there. Former popular athlete and violinist turned loner the last thing on her mind is love until she meets the beautiful stripper at the party who calls herself Treasure…who’s also in her computer science class. Trisha Hamilton doesn’t have time for love but she’s drawn to the girl from the club a few nights ago. What choice do they have to do except fall in love? Thoughts: I did a poll on Instagram asking between the two books which one did you guys think I liked best, and honestly I didn’t know for myself until after I had finished Xeni. Trisha and Alexis are really such an adorable couple but the one thing I loved was the sex work positivity representation in this book. Trisha and Alexis’ relationship developed quite beautifully despite the length of the book and overcame a few subplots that I thought were great such as mental health and complicated family relationships. I also liked that Trisha didn’t go out of her way to have to explain her job and anyone who tried to talk down to her was easily put in their place which I appreciated. It was an opposites attract romance and two black women in love is more than enough for me to say it was a great read. So the result of that poll was Xeni but for quality content, both are a gold star from me. Book 5Christina C. Jones just released a new book called ‘Me+Somebody’s Son: A Heights Story’ which is a novella (and totally contradictory to my dislike towards novellas) but I can’t not want to read this one. As you’ll see from this review, Christiana C Jones is fucking hilarious. I guess that’s why I love her so much, because great minds read alike. (Write alike?) I dunno. I tried. GETTING SCHOOLED BY CHRISTINA C. JONES Rating: 4.5 Blurb: Reece is a grad assistant and has no interest in dating one of her mother’s students. They’re way too young for her anyway except a rude chance encounter proves her wrong. At least on the age front, the guy still was very much rude and so she has no interest in dating him. But perhaps he has other ideas for how he wants the rest of this school year to go for the both of them. Thoughts: When I tell you I laughed out loud while reading this book, I’m pretty sure my suitemates did not enjoy hearing me through the walls, cackling to myself at two in the morning. But alas, Christiana C. Jones has a gift. For one, I love me a good war hero. They call to my long bloodline of those who served but aside from that, these two were just plain fun. The way they flirted and it’s the way she fell in love with his writing. Ugh, imagine? The plot line was followed through fairly easy so I loved that this was the book that got me into this author because even though I’m always one for a few good plot twists, I'm glad that the subplots didn’t derail too from the story. They definitely both had a heavy past and have to come to terms with that individually as well as for themselves and I think it was the lack of development in that backstory that allowed me to dock the .5 stars but honestly I just loved the story for the banter. Highly recommend. BOOK 6I finally got into historical romances! Ever since I started watching Jess from peacelovesbooksxo I’ve been dying to get into historical romances but I didn’t know where to start. Well Tessa Dare was clearly the most obvious choice and lucky for me, we found a winner. SAY YES TO THE MARQUESS BY TESSA DARE Rating: 4 (according to Goodreads) Blurb: Clio has been engaged to be married…for eight years. And now that her fiancé is about to come home, Clio wants to break it off. She’s tired of being the woman “to be wed” and not the one already married. But Rafe, Clio’s betrothed, is determined to keep Clio from breaking things off so he offers to plan her wedding. And of course they end up falling in love instead. Thoughts: As I was looking at my ratings for these books I was trying to decide why I chose this book over the other Tessa Dare book that I loved and rated higher but I remember it’s because Rafe is a freaking gem. His name also rhymes with his title: Rake. (Which means dangerous, single, bad boy in historical romance terms). And you know how much I’m a sucker for those. I’m also a sucker for great banter and the scenes between these two were iconic. There was a cake tasting scene and a stolen kiss that really was fantastique. Not to mention, I did not see that Happily Ever After (HEA) coming at all and I LOVED IT. I can usually predict the endings, I mean romance books typically have the same formula but it’s always the way things are executed that add to the momentum of the scene. And this one was creative so gold stars for that one. And as much as I love family dynamics and good side characters in my books, Clio has great friends though they are not the main stars of this book and somehow it still worked for me being that a lot of the story focused on just these two. Overall, It was so great and now I’m forever a changed woman. Send all the historical romances my way babyy. BOOK 7Honestly I had another book on this list that I really wanted to talk about but I already have a review of that entire trilogy so I’ll link that blog post here and just move on to talk about another Penny Reid book (from her second series!) instead. BEARD IN MIND (WINSTON BROTHERS #4) BY PENNY REID Rating: 5 Blurb: Shelly Sullivan has a chip on her shoulder. Like a mean, snarky, not even nice to customers kind of chip on her shoulder. And Beau is the nicest most charismatic guy in town. Except, when he talks to Shelly. How can this gorgeous mechanic who knows so much about cars (enough to tell him when he’s doing his job wrong) and owns a parrot that only speaks in cuss words draw him in? He wants Shelly gone except…not really. Not once he gets to know her, the real her, and she gets to know him. Thoughts: It’s the way I was screaming about this book on my Goodreads…and I only wrote five freaking lines as a review. Don’t I know I have to rely on my own trash memory for future blog posts? Smh. Anyways, I know why I loved this book more than anything in the series and it was because this book talked about OCD representation and depicted that relationship between mental illness and being involved with a partner so beautifully. This book talked about positive clients and therapist relationships so beautifully. And this book featured freaking Shelly who I can’t say much about in terms of her relations to other characters because it spoils some of the other books in the other series but it was also done, beautifully. So please read it. It was so amazing and the relationship was so real and the formula for what you would call a “romance” was somewhat unconventional and that’s what made it amazing as well. I also loved how Beau’s character was allowed to have so many layers of his personality be pulled back. For being such a ‘charmer’, Reid discussed how that takes a toll on him emotionally and explored something that’s not typically discussed when characters are being described as “charming”. It was absolutely perfect. I also think it’s an own voice story which is fire so I highly recommend. Beau was always my favorite twin anyway, if we’re comparing. Sorry Duane. [read the damn series’ guys. I can’t stop talking about Penny Reid]. BOOK 8Okay so if you were here last year and were able to see my 20 books for 2020 book goals list you might be expecting to see some of the books from that list on here. Or at least an update from it and honestly, it’s not that all of the books on that list were bad I just…didn’t get through the entire list. Covid hit and suddenly I wasn’t interested in all the titles anymore so here we are BUT I did read most of the books and one of them on that list was a success. BIRTHDAY GIRL BY PENELOPE DOUGLAS Rating: 4 Blurb: Jordan isn’t just unavailable, she’s off-limits. I mean, when the man she’s lusting after isn’t her boyfriend but rather her boyfriend’s father, I’d say that makes things more than a little complicated. But at the same time, he’s sweet, and generous, and likes the same music she does…Pike knows better than to fall for the young girl living under his roof but she stirs something within him he just can’t turn away. What happens when they both give in? Thoughts: I remember I was so hesitant to read this book! I’m always here for a little scandal but I thought the least of my worries would be the age gap. Well, Penelope Douglas has turned me taboo cuz I’m here for all the action. This was so good. I loved the way the couple fell in love with each other for the things that they liked about each other, the things that they shared in likes and interests with each other. I also loved the angst and tension between the two as Jordan was navigating her relationship and her new attraction. I think I loved the way Pike’s relationship with his son played out the most though. There was no loss of loyalty or love or concern for his son even as he was falling for Jordan. He always kept that relationship in mind even as he and Jordan started to become more involved. I don’t know if I can jump straight into Douglas’ bully romances just yet but this book is definitely my favorite of her’s so far. BOOK 9I haven’t been reading or writing as much poetry this year as I have before but I did find time to completely devour this book. And I must say, as soon as I can get to book two I’ll let you know what I think. I didn’t think I'd love it as much as I do, but I only read modern poetry and there’s a reason this book has high praise. MILK AND HONEY BY RUPI KAUR Rating: 5 Blurb: Split into four chapters, this compelling compilation of poems flows as a story of a lifetime. Depicting stories of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity Rupi Kaur tells us a journey about life. Thoughts: I wish I could give you lines from all of my favorite poems but maybe I’ll only give you a few. It was raw and ironic and soulful. The drawings were so simplistic, and along with the writing it made you feel like you were following her train of thought as you were reading. ‘The idea of shrinking is hereditary’, ‘women of color’ and ‘to fathers with daughters’ were some of my favorite poems. Not all of the poems have names but I think the main thing that I loved about this book was that I didn’t feel like I needed to start and then stop the book to read. (Which is the main reason why I haven’t finished another poetry book that I own). I was able to read it in one sitting because they all just added to the narrative and it was amazing. loving you was breathing but the breath disappearing before it filled my lungs -when it goes too soon BOOK 10We shouldn't be surprised that Colleen Hoover is on this list. She’s literally my favorite author so when the third and final book to her duet (there’s also a novella) came out I nearly died. Basically, it’s fitting that she’s number ten on this list. MAYBE NOW BY COLLEEN HOOVER Rating: 4 Blurb: A continuation of the musical story with Sydney and Ridge, featuring Maggie and a superfly doctor, Warren and his crude remarks and Bridgette and her only occasionally bad attitude. Oh and a happily ever after, of course. Thoughts: Honestly, I loved this series and this book. I only rated it a four stars because I felt that the story wrapped up too quickly but it was soo beautiful to watch; Sydney and Ridge learn how to grow together in their relationship outside of the guilt and the deceit. How Ridge and Maggie found new ways to be friends and how everyone learned new dynamics of being a family after everything that had happened with them. We get to see more music writing and work with the band which I loved. But by far my favorite part would have to be Jake because man, if I’ve ever seen a mature and freeing relationship…. It’s the way Hoover knows how to write such beautiful characters. And to be able to feature two couples in a book and truly showcase their different dynamics and how that plays on the well roundedness of their personalities was amazing to read. Plus I loved having Maggie’s point of view for this book because I was really curious to see how she was going to move on after everything in the last book. Hoover didn’t end Maybe Someday on this epic cliffhanger either which is why I was surprised when this came out but after my glimpse at the Wattpad chapters I just knew I had to get this book. And here it is! Read Maybe Someday first, you won’t regret it. Now, this year’s honorable mentions are: Beard in Waiting (Winston Brothers #3.5) by Penny Reid 5 stars A novella Best 11 pages I’ve ever read. Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon 4 stars First book in the Loose Ends series. Can be read as a standalone before Xeni and it features a male nanny. *Heart eyes.* Wait for it by Mariana Zapata 4 stars Also features kids and a kid’s coach who’s a little hostile but we stan the relationship development and a single mom. Get a life Chloe brown by Talia Hibbert 4 stars Everyone and their momma has been raving about this damn book and I’m one of those people. She has a chronic illness and she wants to learn how to better live her life with the help of a sexy landlord who owns a motorcycle and has tattoos. I thought the climax was a little cliche but it was well written. And they’re in Britain! I loved the representation in this book. The last letter by Rebecca Yarros 4 stars I was surprised by how much I loved this book. It was hauntingly beautiful. About a mom who writes to her brother’s best friend during war. Then something happens and the best friend is the one taking care of her. We can pretty much garner what happens next but the evolution of the story and their relationship all the while dealing with grief and trauma…beautiful. New Camelot Trilogy by Sierra Simon Average rating: 4 stars I'm surprised by how much I loved this series. It had so many elements that I enjoyed. It’s scanty though but this book has some exciting sex scenes, heart aching romance, and a new modern tale that I didn’t even realize was based on King Author until I looked at the title two books in. Moral of the story, a pretty great read. (It’s a trilogy featuring American Queen, American Prince and American King). And that’s it for this section of (Books that I loved but…) Hope you all enjoyed! takeaway notesThe one thing I loved about my reading journey this year was, I was learning how to fall in love with stories again. There have been so many conversations surrounding the ratings on Goodreads but I loved the experience I got from completing a book and being able to document that feeling and rate that experience. But aside from that, I learned that a great or even favorite book doesn’t always have to be a five star. It might be books that you know one day you’ll reread again because you feel like you can learn more from it or maybe it’s a book that taught you a lesson that you couldn’t have learned somewhere else, even if you didn’t love all aspects of the story. And I think if we’re trying to be insightful on 2020 as a whole, it can help to look back on it as being a year that was a 3 or even a 3.5 rating. It wasn’t a great year, for some it may not have even been a good year, but did it teach you something? Did you come out of it as a different person? What can you still take away from this year that can possibly help you cling onto the things that helped you survive through it? I didn’t want to do a new year’s resolution of goals list this year because I feel like it can be a little daunting given the circumstances—it’s hard to plan for the unexpected—but maybe if we just start small, with new books goals, then it will help push us into our next chapters for 2021.
So, Happy New Year! With love, Arianna Taylor Also make sure to follow me on my Instagram! I’m trying to post more bookish and writing related content on there and it should be a fun time. And here’s a link to Jess’s video to help you keep a lookout for 2021’s Most Anticipated Indie Releases. So, enjoy!
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5/11/2020 0 Comments Ex(pose)sureWhen sunlight hits against,
Elevated cheekbones without your favorite highlighter; And golden hues reflect on uneven toned skin. Your lashes close, dusting your cheeks And your lips are chapped and shaking. You are vulnerable. You are selfish. You are vain. You are skin. When your palms are dry and cracked, Aching, as skin is stretched taught as it reaches for tangible dreams in the sky; Your fingertips graze the clouds of possibilities, But only raindrops fall and drench your sleeves; Your wrists are wet and damp uncomfortably. You are yearning. You are eager. You are hopeful. You are skin. When the light is no longer working for your bathroom mirror, And you’ve run out of acne cream; When your favorite waxing salon has closed down, And you really can’t afford another pair of new jeans… When there are no longer any more clothes to hide under, The dark circles are big enough for everyone to find; When you are naked and standing in the mirror, With no one but yourself to look you in the eye. When your heart aches for the things your hands cannot touch; And your voice is but a whisper after all the words you still didn’t say, Your body reflects the life you’ve lived; And your body is all the love you are. You are torn, You are broken, You are scars, cuts and bruises… And you are skin. I know this kind of ended on a depressing note but first I want to say HI! How are you? I know it’s been so long and the world is really crazy right now. I debated giving a life update--I finished my first year of university (yay!), I made some amazing friends (who really do make the world go round), I’m developing a strong mental, emotional and physical health (we love a growing Queen), and I’m going through this pandemic crises just like all of you. So with that in mind, I decided against the update and created this instead instead. This was an idea that I had in mind for a really long time and I finally created the aesthetic and the pictures to go with it but had no idea what I wanted to create with it until I finally thought--poetry, duh! It's been awhile since we've seen any on the blog so I was excited to share it. Anyways, in spirit of us all going through similar life experiences, (though completely unrelated), I wanted to share a poem about how societal pressures of beauty force us to see things as these imperfections that need to be fixed or covered up. When really, our raw and most authentic and unedited selves are the most beautiful because that’s who we really are and how could we not want to love ourselves? Even though it can be hard. We have to learn and love and appreciate that inner self so that it can reflect to our outer selves before we allow these corporations tell us what they think we’re missing from our lives. After we understand that: "Makeup or no makeup, I’m still beautiful", then we can pile on everything else materialistic and superficial because makeup is fucking fun and it makes you feel fun and sexy and confident. And in the end, that's all any one of us wants to feel on the inside. The point of this or anything really is to help us truly understand who we are and what parts of ourselves we want to reflect to the world--of course the best parts, but are those “best parts” truly you? Or are they the metaphorical “makeup” that we choose to hide behind because we think people will like that version of ourselves better? So make sure you're doing things to feed that inner beauty and not because society tells you there's something wrong with who you really are. Either way, I really thought this poem could help some of you guys to look at the inner and outer beauty being reflected differently through words. DISCLAIMER! I am not calling anyone selfish or vain, I am speaking to the corporations who tell us that we need something more/other than ourselves in order to feel or be beautiful. I definitely played with words and meanings behind punctuation in this poem so I really hope you guys enjoyed. I’m hoping to learn how to reclaim and define definitions of words in life and through my writing that are used to tear us down so that’s kind of my intention behind this. I love you guys, I really hope you guys are all staying safe, staying healthy and I’ll talk to you soon. Until Next Time. With love, Arianna
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I'm so excited to do this blog post for you guys. I don't do many book related posts but if you guys don't know me, know that I love to read. Unfortunately though (and it's not just me, maybe there's just a universal age where we all just don't read as much. It definitely has something to do with high school and college work loads and teenage/adult responsibilities but I won't go into that right now) anyways, I don't read as much as I used to and when I do, I'm much more selective. So this year I wanted to challenge myself to A. read more! (Duh). And B. To break out of my comfort zone and read books that I normally wouldn't pick up on my own. It's definitely going to be a challenge since I'm a binge reader (so I'll sit and finish a book in one sitting, no breaks in between) but it's good to break old habits. Besides, I learned that it's okay to read and have to come back to a book as long as I finish the book. So that's what this list is. It's a personal goal to read at least twenty books by the end of this year. Of course I want to read more but I feel like twenty is a good number to start with. I can't take all the credit for this list though. I have to give a shout out to this YouTuber I found named Katherine Cassidy who has the most amazing energy when doing book reviews. I love the amount of detail she gives to the books descriptions and how she doesn't just read the back of the cover. She talks personally about certain aspects that she loved throughout the novel without giving any spoilers and any apprehensions she had before reading (not to mention, she had many books on her own list that I've read and loved so I'd say she has good taste. lol). So, most of the books on my list are inspired by three of her videos which I will have linked below. Now, I will warn you, I'm a softy and so my favorite (and pretty much only) genre to read is romance. Contemporary and steamy are my go-to's so the videos down below and some of the books on this list fall under this category, so don't judge but you have been forewarned. Haha. However, since I'm challenging myself, I threw in a few surprises just to push myself (and you) into new territory. I have two poetry books, I have comic books, and I have one non-fiction. I don't think I have any fantasy but maybe if I can finish my twenty books before the year is over then I'll throw one in. It took me so long to finish this list because number 20 was going to be a mystery but I wanted to make sure these were books that I would be able to come back to during my busy schedule and I don't think I'll be able to do that right now for a mystery in order to remember what's happening. (But don't worry Rossena, I will eventually read and finish Gone Girl. I promise. lol). Okay, so now that all introductions are out of the way, let's jump into the list!
1. Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi
I've been trying to read this book for at least a year now. 2019 wasn't the year for it but hopefully in 2020 this book will finally have its time to shine. I have the physical copy of it too so I hope that'll inspire me to get to it faster since I love physical books opposed to reading online. (It's such a hassle, painful for my eyes, and if it's not free it's not for me. Lol.) Anyways, this book is a dystopian thriller which is way out of my comfort zone. Dystopian, for sure (loved The Giver) but thrillers are usually only for movies within my range of interests. I was mainly drawn to this book for its unique writing. One line is written, another has a line through it. I loved that because it's exactly how we think, how we write. We say one thing, cross it out, edit. It was interesting to me but it's something that I'm going to need to dedicate time to reading since this isn't purely romance. Although, for a girl with a fatal touch it must be a pretty interesting story to see how all her relationships work...especially while locked in a cell. Long story short, this'll be fun.
2. Collide by Gail McHugh
This book seems like your typical 'bad boy romance' and I'm totally here for it. I'm not one for love triangles (I hate them actually) but the plot didn't hint at the love triangle so much as having one person in Emily's life and then finding another who is determined to have her. (Cue eye roll) but I love second chance romances so we'll see how it goes.
3. Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey
Do some titles ever make you question "why"? I mean, covers, I'm not surprised. When it comes to romance it's no surprise if it's just a variation of a girl and a guy, but this title makes me wonder why Ian isn't as nice of a guy as he apparently is made out to be. In my head I'm wondering if this is hinting to some freaky stuff or maybe a troubled past...I don't know. What do ya'll think? Anyways, I've never read a teacher-teacher romance before. I've read teacher-and something else so I'm excited for this read. It's your typical best friend trope where they end up falling in love but I'm excited to read this one because of the new setting. I hope they keep it pg in front of the kids though because the description didn't say they were professors. I'm all for a good scandal but not with fifth graders in the next room. Lol.
4. Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne
This is a book that I've already crossed off my list (I started out pretty strong this January so a few of the books I'm listing here are crossed off so I'll just tell you what I thought before reading it and then how I felt after reading it). When I started reading it, I was so intrigued. I love cliche romance stories with (mainly) interesting lead characters, that way it gives things a twist. Otherwise, there needs to be a dramatic twist somewhere along the story line in order to keep me hooked. That being said, this book sounded so good! Especially in the way Cassidy described it in her review. It's about this guy and a girl who live in the same building and they each meet each other at five am-him on his way to work and her on her way back from a night out- I was like oh yeah. Opposites attract, here we go. Because usually when I hear this story line starting out with the leads having a common interest, I thought-so maybe the guy and the girl both workout at this same time-but from right off the bat my attention is drawn to the differences. I loved it! Anyways, I have the book linked up above (click the picture!) so that you can get a better feel of the actual description but I must say I was very disappointed after reading this book. It started off so good but in the end it was all just...fluff. Although I didn't expect much from the description but I did expect a whole lot more. Though, as much as I'd really like to go into the details about this book and how I felt about it, I think I'll do full book reviews on each of these after I complete the list. (I know, I totally suck for keeping you hanging like this). But trust me. It'll be worth it. Besides, maybe you'll read this book by then and have an opinion to share about it instead. I'd love to hear what you guys think.
5. Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
I'm going to be honest, I'm putting off reading a lot of the books on this list until the last possible moment, even though I really shouldn't. It's the stubbornness in me to read what I think, I know I like (because you never really know until you try) but even though this books falls under romance, for me, it's a little risky. There's a huge age gap and listen, I'm all for a little scandal between 25 and 37 but hot damn, 19 and 38 had my heart stopping just for a second. THAT BEING SAID...Cassidy said that it wasn't freaky or weird and so I'm going to try it out. Besides, the description on Goodreads was enticing so I'm going to try to go into it with an open mind. I'll let you know how it goes.
6. Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
I looove me a good girl/guy bestfriend-turned-lover-relationship. I love them even more if 1. They're in college (Like Me!) 2. The guy is in sports (which he is) and 3. There's always the nerdy girl with determination and a bucket list. And Number seven, of course, is to have mind-blowing sex. HULLO! Right up my alley. You know, people really are missing out when they say romance novels don't have that much thrill. Because I'll tell you right now that I'm so thrilled to read this book. I hope it's good.
7. The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros
This was the book I was most excited for on this list and so it was the first book I read after I learned about it. And it was sooo good. It's romance, but for me it felt like more than that. It felt like a story about family and the strengths love can have to build relationships. I don't know how to explain it but it was just a beautiful story, not just a great romance story. It's about a single mother who writes to her brother's best friend who's in the military. (And fun fact about me but I love a good soldier. Count. me. In.) Anyways, They're pen pals for awhile until Beckett comes home and lies to Ella about who he is in order to help her raise her children after something happens to one of them. It's soo good guys. Usually I don't read single mom stories either because not all the times are the kids easily integrated into the story or, sorry to say, but the stories are too mature in the sense that they're really boring. lol. But this one was perfect. Highly recommend.
8. Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen
I'm not sure why I'm more hesitant to read this one. It's definitely within my usual genre and I actually like hocky romances (despite my disinterest in the actual sport). I think it's because it's not hinting to the buildup of their romance as being the main plot of the story, but rather what happens after they have their one night (and that can either go really good or really bad depending on how the story is written). But I promised myself that I'd go into each story with an open mind and I'm determined to do so. Besides, I like the name Brooklynaire. It reminds me of the city. Haha.
9. The Unhoneynmooners by Christina Lauren
I love Christina Lauren! (From the one other book I've read by them. lol.) This best friend duo of authors has really changed my perspective on female main characters in the best possible way. That being said, highly recommend Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating because that was just spectacular. Best female lead award goes to that book. Hands down. Anyways...The Unhoneymooners. I was intrigued! Perfect plot and perfect setup and given my great experience before, I was expecting ten out of ten reviews for this one too...and to be honest I don't know yet. I haven't finished it, I'm almost done but a bulk of the novel is almost done and I'm not completely satisfied. I'll let you know what I really think when I'm finished with it but for now I've put the novel on pause since I'm worried about how it's going to end (or rather, how I'll feel once it does. Can you tell I don't do well with conflict? lol).
10. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dane
This is one of those risky novels again. Haha. I love period films but if the cover of a novel has a woman wearing a corset, a poofy dress, and is in the arms of a man in a billowing linen shirt I'll always say pass. (Sorry, but I most definitely judge books by their covers. Oops). Anyways, I'm usually apprehensive about historical romances too because I've read some pretty...offensive plot lines and I'm sorry but no amount of open mindedness will ever allow me to read a romance story based around no consent. Period. On that note, this plot line doesn't seem too bad. I'm hoping the book is better than described on Amazon, especially since I'm going off of Cassidy's energy solely for this one. I'm very interested in writing this book review though, especially for the more risky ones. I want to see how much my perspective has changed either for the book or that sub-theme in general.
11. Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely
This book said single sexy dad? Here. And boy am I there. I'm actually really excited to read this book. I had to look up the description again to give you guys my full thought process behind it but I'm 100 percent here for this book. (Which is such a relief after talking so much about my apprehension on the other one's on this list. lol). It's an opposite's attract trope (which sometimes I love and sometimes I'm 'eh' about to be honest). But for me it's the kid that's making me swoon because oof. I'm really excited to see where this goes actually. Plus wedding planners are so cool to read about. I just hope the lawyer has more depth to him than the stereotypes write them out to be.
12. The Risk by Elle Kennedy
Elle Kennedy! Ugh. I love her and have loved her but you know, now I'm not so sure...Anyways, let me jump right in here to say that I've loved Elle Kennedy for a minute. I read her entire Off-Campus series which I absolutely adored and highly recommend. (The Score and The Goal are my two favorite, in that order). So, when I heard that she was doing a second series with FITZY? Ah! I nearly died. I've been waiting on that book for a minute. But not gonna lie, wasn't too thrilled (which is why it's not on this list. Also because I already read it in 2019. Let me know if you guys want me to add a review to that book when I do these since that book is technically the first book in the series. The Risk is the second.) However, This book is a standalone! Other characters are mentioned from her Off-Campus series and from the first book but you don't need to read them in order to understand this one. Anyways, despite my initial disappointment with the start of this series, second chances and all that so I'm here, back again. I was very interested in Brenna as a character from the first book though. I'll get back to you on how I actually felt about the book but it was all good vibes. It's another college hocky romance which I enjoyed and they're rivals. OOOh. So yeah, I was hype.
13. The Play by Elle Kennedy
Okay, so I know I keep mentioning this book review that I'm going to do. Blah Blah Blah BUT even though this may be considered a spoiler on my thoughts to this book, it needs to be said. I liked...some of this book. The ending was pretty awesome not gonna lie HOWEVER the main character is mixed. She's black and latina and before we get too excited about "ooh diversity! Ethnicity! Melanin!" I lowkey felt the stereotypes here. Listen, I'm not saying people can't write diverse characters and perhaps a lot of research was put into this book but to me, I felt like there were a few things that seemed way too surface level to be considered well thought out. This is my one opinion though and I'm really so interested on what you guys think about this. To be honest, this all stirred from one scene (guys, no actually, please read this just so we can talk about this one scene. It's the dance scene. You'll know when you know). But anyways, from there on I started nitpicking every little thing in the entire book about the character and even one reference made about a black guy made in The Score (even though I loved that book but it was just one line that made my brow go up). That being said, I still hope you guys will read it and given the ending you guys will hopefully understand that yes, romance has it's fair share of cheese but damn it's those plot twists we really live for! Okay, enough about this book. Onto the next.
14. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
Oh. M. Gee. You guys, I'm not going to lie. It's really hard not to rant and rave about these books after having read them but can we just talk about it. Can we just talk about this PLEASE? Because girl, I nearly died. Yes, I know I'm late to the gravy train but I really am one of those people who just doesn't do things when they're popular. I don't even know why! I swear it's not a thing I force myself to do but it's really just a turn off for me. But anyways, you guys probably already know about this book because HULLO who hasn't? Rupi Kaur really killed y'all in 2014 because she really slayed my ass in January 2020. I can't even lie. This is literally the next book I'm buying on my Amazon wishlist. Anyways, read it again if you haven'tread it awhile. Read it again if you read it yesterday. And tag me with your favorite poem from the book on Instagram because I have plenty. And if you haven't heard of or read this book yet, prepared to be slayed and laid by one true poetry queen. And that's all I have to say about that. Look to Amazon for the boring description because I can't even muster one up without excitement. It doesn't do this woman justice.
15. A Warning by Anynomous: A Senior Trump Administration Official
Guys, I don't know what I was thinking when I picked up this book and said "this will be a great idea not only to read but to add to my list". I had really hoped I wouldn't lie to myself and you this year but this book is mighty hefty and a little dense and I don't know. I may or may not be finishing this book this year. lol. But I sure as hell am going to try! And I really want to, simply because I want to try to be more proactive about my learning, especially keeping up to date with politics. I don't want this book to feel like homework (because the only other nonfiction I've read for fun were magazines and a lifestyle book. I own four and even out of those four I've only finished one. Sadly.) but I feel like this could be something worth pushing through my boredom if it gets to that. But I never know, I could actually love the style of writing and learn something at the same time. There's no pictures though and my lifestyle book had pictures so we're definitely competing for captivity here. lol. Anyways, it's basically a book about the behind the scene's of Trump's presidency and the first words of a senior official who's words of warning "rocked the nation's capitol". Yup, totally copied that from the description but I'm pretty sure the billions of other websites before Goodreads explains this book a whole lot better.
16. Permenant Record by Mary H.K Choi
Mary H.K. Choi! Her name was the first thing I recognized after reading the back of this book. But first, let's talk about how cool the outside cover is. I first picked this book up in Target and it was a hardcover. All I have to say is, if you can find the hardcover, do it just to look at it in person because I personally think it's so freaking cool. Anyways, I recognized the author because she was interviewed by Teen Vogue (I think. I'm pretty sure it was Teen Vogue) about a new book and I just really loved what she had to say to fellow writers. I think I saved the quote from her or at least wrote it down in my notes. She said, "If you want to be a writer, just write. Don't wait for permission...it's really ugly, it's really intolerable but just do it." And you know, it was nice to read that quote again to motivate me. Anyways, I saw her name on this book (and luckily for me, I loved the story behind it first) and so now it's on my list. This book is about a guy who's a year out of college and a internet famous girl who cross paths in Brooklyn (we really need a Bronx love story out here guys. We have so much to offer!) but it's so beautifully modern that I'm so excited to read this story. It's also pretty thick so I feel like there's going to be a beautiful story told on these pages. And then based off of the cool cover, I don't know why but I just feel like this is going to be a good book.
17. The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
And of course, after reading her first book I looked up her others. And this one is a thick queen and I'm so excited to read it. I read Milk and Honey literally in an hour. (I swear, I was like a bee slurping up honey. It was that good. Wow, the analogies man!) That being said, I want to be able to dedicate that much time to this book as well because I have another poetry book that I've been "in the process" of reading for over a year now and I really fear it's never going to get done. lol. So I want to do this book justice and dedicate a spring break vacation day just to this book. (And hopefully to my other books as well) but at least one day to this book specifically. (Now let me look up what this one is about because I honestly don't know, forgot and didn't care simply because it was another poetry book by her). Okay, The sun and her flowers has five chapters about growth and journey and...hell. Amazon guys. Amazon has all the answers.
18. Teen Titans: Beast Boy (Comic) (Coming September 8, 2020) by Kami Garcia Illustrated by Gabriel Picolo
You know, I found this comic (series? Right now this book will make it a duology but I'm not sure what the contract is on this. Anyways!) because I had followed Gabriel Picolo on Instagram. I had found his artwork five years ago randomly on Pinterest and now years later I'm following him and Kami Garcia and they come out with a whole comic book! I was stoked. Now listen, I can't say I'm a hardcore DC fan (because come on. Those movies really be slacking. Endgame? DC could never) but aside from that, their TV shows are pretty cool and I loove the Teen Titans. And I'm not talking just the Cartoon Network cartoon but the actual cartoon movie. (The Judas Contract was so great.) Anyways, my newfound obsession came with the cartoon artwork of Raven I had been recently seeing and so of course I wanted to write her story with her and Beastboy because HULLO power couple anyone? But yeah, we won't talk about that. Haha. Long story short, I read the Raven comic in a flash (I totally planned that joke. I can'r even lie about my corniness at this point. Lol) and now I've been waiting impatiently for the Beastboy comic WHICH COMES OUT IN SEPTEMBER! So I'm super hype for this to be my summer read. I think I'm going to buy it hardcopy too just because Beastboy really is such a king, man. Highly recommend reading Raven first though. Not because it's not a standalone but because why not? lol. The beastboy comic is a standalone though and the story actually looks so great. It's talking about our lovely teenage years and friendship and growing into our identities...really a good read. I love comics!
19. Grimm Fairy Tales Volume 2 by Joe Tyler and Ralph Tedesco (Sorry no pic for you guys on this one but click on the link and you can see it.)
I must admit, I have not talked about this comic series as often as I probably should considering how much love I have for it. Shout out to my dad for introducing me to this (and comic books in general, I guess. lol) because this series is AMAZING! Let me give a little context though. If you didn't already know (because Disney deceived me during my childhood as it probably has most of us and to be honest, I'm still not mad at it) but anyways, the grimm fairytales are actually quite...grimm. Lol. I'm pretty sure these comics have taken the original stories and modernized them for us 21 century folk but my goodness, my dad gave me volume 1 and all I want to do now is read more about the twisted tales of Cinderella and Red Riding Hood (because honey, humanity really is twisted. lol). Anyways, this is volume two and each comic is a standalone full of 5 short stories (at least in this one). They're all of stories we probably know and love so I personally recommend volume 1 as well but read volume 2 with me just so we can talk about it because whew. I'm excited for this one. I'm definitely buying a hard copy of this because just to own one will make my entire year.
20. Maybe Now by Colleen Hoover
I love Colleen Hoover. As in, if her brain were a walking talking human I would marry it and just listen to the stories it creates for hours. That's how in love I am with Colleen Hoover. Her other book, It Ends With Us, is perfect and I cannot recommend it enough. I read Maybe Someday years ago when it first came out and I fell in love. (I was still into my nook back then and realized-sadly- how much I still hate reading online unless it's free) and then she started posting the beginning chapters to this book on Wattpad. I followed them like an addict until she just stopped and I forgot all about it. But thanks to the power of social media (and her giveaway at the time) I was reminded of it again and instantly decided this would be the perfect ending to my list. Granted, after I finish The Unhoneymooners I'll probably read this one next but I'll try to hold out for as long as I can to at least give the other books a chance. Maybe Now is the third book ending this duology (with one novella in between) so it is highly recommended that you read Maybe Someday first but you don't need to read Maybe Not (the novella) to understand this one (from what I remember) unless you want to, which, trust me, you'll want to. I know this list took so long to get through. I really was just ranting and raving by the end because I couldn't help it. Some of these books have history even if I haven't read them yet. But I'm really excited to complete this list. I'm proud of myself for even starting so soon though so yay me in 2020 for starting off the new year right. I know it's February though but better late than never. Also, HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! Celebrate black authors and writers in spirit of this month and this post. Comment down below your favorites. Also comment any books you think I should add to my list whether you think I'll like it or not. Really staying on trend here with versatility. Lol. Overall, I really hope this list gave you guys some ideas for some things to read for this year. If not, I hope it challenges you to go out of your comfort zone to read outside of your genre or maybe it'll push you to simply read more this year. Either way, I hope you enjoyed. Until Next Time! With love, Arianna Katherine Cassidy's Videos: Steamy Romance Book Recommendations Episode 1 Steamy Book Recommendations Episode 2 Steamy Book Recommendations 3 4/2/2019 0 Comments A SUmmer night’s eveHi guys! Thanks for waiting so patiently as I took time away from my blog. Not willingly, albeit; school has just taken precedent over everything else. Either way, I’m here now and I was really excited about this poem I wrote on the train a few days back and thought I’d share it with you. Hope you all enjoy! The smell of rain,
Won’t ever be as strong as the scent of your vanilla perfume on my pillow. The sound of the waves, Won’t ever be as strong as hearing your heartbeat as I lay on top of your chest. The blinding view of the sun, as it rises over the horizon, Won’t ever be as bright as your smile the moment I saw you walk down the aisle. And the taste of pineapple ice cream, Won’t ever be as sweet as the taste of your tongue on my lips after a warm summer’s day; -You were eating a cherry popsicle, that first night we kissed.- And as I try to remember the smooth silk of your skin, And the smell of your hair, and the sound of your breath as you lay next to me; As I try to remember that smile, and how good you look without makeup on, or the taste of you after you’ve been in the pool all day long; As I try to remember, I fail to understand, why the universe is set out to do more harm than good. Why reward when you only plan to take away? And why let me love her, love you, when you were only going to leave me? It was unexpected. I loved you and then you were gone. Is that what happens when you love someone? You love them until they leave? I wish you could have stayed. I wish the universe was as merciful as it claims. Because the last thing I remember of you wasn’t your smile, or the smell of your hair. It wasn’t your touch early in the morning that enveloped me close, or the sound of your laugh when I tell a funny joke. The last thing I remember was darkness and the smell of metal and blood. The sound of despair and panic in your voice as the car flipped us over and over and over... I remember your hand grasping for mine and how quickly I lost your grasp. And how when everything was over, the sight of your mangled body laying next to mine, dead and silent, pulled nothing but pain from deep inside my chest. -It still keeps me up at night.- So the universe is cruel, for letting me love you and then taking you away. And for letting that be the last thing I remember. But I’ll always love you and I’ll always try to remember your smile when I can see nothing else but darkness. So thank you for granting me that joy, that reprieve from the devastation I feel. Even in death, I’ll always love you. -Pete The story of Pete And Hanna’s Epic Love Tragedy Song: When the darkness comes Until Next Time. With love, Arianna 8/12/2018 0 Comments A Note to myself about self-love
Listen to the audio, (use headphones for better sound), watch the clips. Enjoy! A note to myself about self-love
Loving yourself isn’t just about having confidence or loving how you look in the mirror. It’s definitely a part of it, maybe even the most important part, but it’s not all of it. Loving yourself is about learning to love your failures and your flaws. Your mistakes, your regrets, and learning that they aren’t so bad now, because they made you into the person you are today. Loving yourself is learning to forgive but not forget. Knowing when it’s time to let go and keep moving on with your life because dwelling on the past is only going to keep you from seeing your future. And stop constantly blaming others. It only takes the blame off of you for a little while, but it doesn’t change the situation. Loving yourself is learning how to say sorry-to others- but more importantly, to yourself. Learn to apologize to yourself for being so hard on yourself for things you had no control over, Or for things that you did, and you just messed up. We all mess up sometimes, but learning to love yourself is learning to understand that it's only sometimes, not all the time, and we’ll get better at these things as we grow older and learn. It teaches you empathy; and that even you have your limits, despite how perfect you may think you are or may want to be. Learning how to love yourself may entail getting hurt in the process. You may loose a few friends, have a few bad relationships or just have a really bad experience, And you want to beat yourself up about it over and over again, but learning to love yourself means accepting this terrible phase in life and knowing that it will pass -The pain, the confusion, the regret-it doesn’t last forever. And loving yourself is trying to figure out the real lesson you’re supposed to learn from all of this, not dwell on “What if?” Learning to love yourself is not learning “a better way to love others.” Learning to love yourself is learning to love yourself. All parts of yourself-the good and the bad-and being happy with that person. No regrets, no mistakes. Acceptance; and eventually...happiness. It’s something we all want to achieve-self-love-and something we all need to work at. It may take a while, or you may wake up one day and suddenly feel like your best self. But until then, here’s a gentle reminder on How to Love Myself. Hi guys! Did you enjoy hearing my voice? I hope the file opened for you with no problem. Putting this together was such a struggle but I finally got it up and I’m so excited! I’m trying to get more acquainted with making videos and editing for you guys. I want to keep things interesting on here because as you all know, I can talk (write) all day but sometimes it’s nice to change things up a bit and I thought recording this would be fun. I don’t own any of the images, in case you were wondering. I have them all on my Pinterest account though so follow me on there at MusicManiac and you can see all the stuff I pin, including these photos. I hope you all enjoyed this little bit of prose and Until Next Time! With love, Arianna Song in recording: Hearing-Sleeping At Last |
AuthorI'm an 21 year old girl who lives in NY. I love to read and write and fashion is my life. Follow me to find out more! Archives
January 2023
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